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Sexual Coercion and Dating

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science
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Synonyms

Interpersonal violence; Partner or acquaintance rape; Rape; Reproductive coercion; Sexual harassment; Sexual manipulation

Definition

The manipulation of one’s romantic partner into engaging in unwanted sexual acts.

Introduction

Sexual coercion in humans occurs when one partner – often the female – are manipulated, tricked, or influenced in to sexual activity. Methods of sexual or reproductive coercion can take many subtle forms, such as financial withholdings, payoffs, as well as physical or psychological abuse. In more extreme coercion, alcohol and drugs may be used to decrease the resistance of the targeted individual. Rohypnol and ketamine are among several substances used to sexually coerce women and ultimately lower the social consequence for males who engage in sexual coercion (Crooks and Baur 2014). When a woman refuses to consent via coercion, a mate’s efforts may be elevated to include coercion through aggression, threats, physical violence, and rape. Like other...

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Correspondence to E. Alexandria Cozanitis .

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Alexandria Cozanitis, E. (2017). Sexual Coercion and Dating. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3647-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3647-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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